United States, Ukraine, and Russia launch first trilateral talks in UAE

Friday 23 January 2026 - 08:20

By: Dakir Madiha

United States, Ukraine, and Russia launch first trilateral talks in UAE

The United States, Ukraine, and Russia are convening their inaugural trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi today, Friday, January 23, 2026, marking a potential turning point in efforts to resolve the protracted Ukraine conflict. These two-day discussions, centered on security concerns, represent the first time representatives from all three nations have gathered since Russia's full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.

The meeting follows a late-night session in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which stretched over four hours past midnight. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov characterized the exchange as substantial, constructive, and candid, though he offered no details on breakthroughs.

Territorial disputes remain the core impasse. Moscow insists that lasting peace hinges on resolving these issues per an agreement reached at last year's Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage, Alaska. Russia demands Ukraine cede control over roughly 20 percent of the Donetsk region it still holds, a concession Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected after heavy losses to defend it.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos after meeting President Trump, Zelensky noted broad agreement on security guarantees but stressed that territory stands as the unresolved crux.

High-level delegations underscore the talks' gravity. Ukraine's team includes Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council; Kyrylo Budanov, head of military intelligence; negotiator David Arakhamia; and Andrii Hnatov, chief of the general staff. Russia's side is led by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, director of the GRU military intelligence agency, with Kirill Dmitriev handling parallel economic talks with Witkoff.

Witkoff expressed measured optimism en route to the region, telling a Davos breakfast gathering that negotiations have narrowed to one key issue with viable options for resolution.

The diplomacy unfolds amid Ukraine's harshest winter since the war began, with Russian strikes crippling energy infrastructure and leaving hundreds of thousands without heat or power in subzero conditions. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal called January 22 the toughest day for the grid since late 2022 blackouts. Ushakov warned that without territorial progress, Russia will press its military objectives relentlessly. Zelensky, in his Davos address, chided European allies for rhetoric without resolve, urging the continent to build real deterrence capabilities.